


Homecoming

by sonictrowel



Series: Long Night in the Blue House [54]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Family Feels, Family Fluff, Flash Forward, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-20
Updated: 2017-06-20
Packaged: 2018-11-16 07:38:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11249271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonictrowel/pseuds/sonictrowel
Summary: “Well… alright, short version.  Basically, there’s some Official Twats from Gallifrey who think the Doctor’s hybrid children are going to destroy their world, and the timeline’s so knackered here, no one can get through.  So we’re hiding out.  We… actually snuck in on the TARDIS when you did.  It was the only way to get in.”Rory raised his eyebrows in what was possibly an impressed expression.“Hang on,” Amy said, scrunching her eyes, “Gallifrey?  I thought it was already destroyed?  The Doctor—”“Oh, right.  Yeah, that was um, a false alarm?  Listen, this is going to be an... extraordinarily long and involved story.  Maybe we should go home first.”





	Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

> Two in one day? Why, yes, I am out of control once again. I planned this part aaaaages ago and have been dying to write it, and I was very happy to see there's demand for more of the Ponds! I love Bill beyond words, but boy do I miss them in my life.

 [Earth, 1938]

_“Sorry,” Rory called after a moment, his voice rough as he walked up to them.  Amy seemed frozen by her sudden realisation, her face fallen.  “Difficult day.  You know, uh, cemetery and all.”  He cleared his throat.  “You, uh, just look an awful lot like someone we… know.”_

  _“Yeah,” Milly offered him a sympathetic smile.  “I’ve seen the photos.”_

“Sorry,” Rory said again, shaking his head slightly in confusion, “the photos?”

“Amy,” Milly said, and both their eyes widened as they gaped at her, “I’m so sorry, they can’t come back for you.  It’s not possible.  But… hopefully you won’t mind a little company.  Um.”  

She shifted and hoisted Athena higher in her arms, and they both looked as though they were just really absorbing that she was carrying a child for the first time.  Well, she supposed they were distracted.  And she was going about this rather gracelessly, wasn’t she. 

“Sorry, I’ve got all sorts of introductory letters, but my hands are a bit full at the moment—”

“Who are you?” Amy asked, squinting at her as if searching for something she could almost recognise.

“Ah, well.  Dr. Milly Song.  Short for Amelia.”  She smiled shyly.  “This is Athena, my big sister… yeah, long story.  You’re... sort of our grandparents.”

They were, understandably, at a loss for words.

“—And I absolutely do not have to call you that,” Milly added, aware that she was beginning to ramble and had not really given them a chance to respond, “given that I’m quite a bit older than you, though I guess you’re used to that…” 

“Sorry,” Rory broke in again, “You’re saying you’re… _River’s children?”_  There was the slightest note of hopefulness in his voice, amidst all the stress and confusion.

“Afraid so,” Milly said.  “Actually, um, would you mind taking her?  I’ve got these letters from Dad with photos and all—”

“‘Dad,’ being the…” Amy trailed off.

“Yeah, the Doctor, of course,” Milly answered with a smile.  “Sorry, I’m really buggering this whole introduction up, aren’t I?” 

Amy and Rory exchanged a long look— shock and disbelief and, Milly hoped, just a little bit of happiness.

Rory cracked a real smile first; her hopes answered.  “Uh, here, give her to me,” he said, holding out his arms.  

Amy stepped closer as he took Athena, who was still out stone cold.  He cradled her in his arms, her face leaned against his chest.  Amy was a little harder to read, but she didn’t look displeased. 

“How old is she?” she asked, meeting Milly’s eyes again. 

“Four.”

“Did.. something happen?” Rory asked softly.

“Well… alright, short version.  Basically, there’s some Official Twats from Gallifrey who think the Doctor’s hybrid children are going to destroy their world, and the timeline’s so knackered here, no one can get through.  So we’re hiding out.  We… actually snuck in on the TARDIS when you did.  It was the only way to get in.” 

Rory raised his eyebrows in what was possibly an impressed expression. 

“Hang on,” Amy said, scrunching her eyes, “Gallifrey?  I thought it was already destroyed?  The Doctor—” 

“Oh, right.  Yeah, that was um, a false alarm?  Listen, this is going to be an... extraordinarily long and involved story.  Maybe we should go home first.”

“Home?” Rory asked.  “Do you live here?”

“Not yet.”  Milly reached into her jacket pocket and retrieved the envelope she’d brought from _her_  Mum and Dad.  “But I’ve got an address and a key.  Shall we have a look?” 

___

The front door was painted TARDIS blue, in blatant contravention of the contemporary style.  They’d gone for extravagance, of course, and bought an entire brownstone on 81st Street, of the sort that would’ve no doubt been broken up into several million-dollar apartments in sixty or so years’ time.  It was dusty inside, having sat empty for ages awaiting its occupants, but it was furnished and decorated with a loving eye for every detail.  

 _Starry Night_ hung over the mantel of the ground floor fireplace— not the original, no doubt thanks to Mum for possessing the necessary common sense.  There was a TARDIS blue sofa and a set of matching crimson red armchairs in the main living room, and oriental rugs scattered over the dark wood floors throughout the house.  Art and artefacts from cultures throughout space and time were displayed in every room, alongside framed photos of their family through the mixed-up centuries.

Each of the first three floors had a kitchen, in various sizes, and each in possession of a few anachronistic appliances.  Milly found her bedroom easily on the second floor, because it looked almost exactly like her room at home.  Athena’s room, too, looked like her childhood room on the TARDIS, but with a bed with plenty of space for her to grow, and less childish-looking furniture that would age better with her.  Each bedroom in the house had a wardrobe full of clothing, styled as close to the intended wearer’s preferences as the time period would allow.  In Athena’s room, the clothes were hung in order of gradually increasing sizes.

Amy and Rory had a master suite that spanned the third floor.  _Sunflowers_ hung on the wall above the bed, and three large prints of their wedding photos hung over the mantel.  Part of the suite was portioned into a little office with a typewriter on the desk.  Beside it, a pair of reading glasses sat atop a sheet of paper with just a few lines printed on it.  Amy picked it up and read it silently, sniffing once before she folded it and tucked it into her pocket.

The entire fourth floor was an expansive library, every wall covered with built-in shelves packed with books.  The top storey was a bit reminiscent of a school, divided into a music room full of instruments (including, of course, several anachronistic electric guitars and their accompanying amps,) an open studio with mirrors along one wall that seemed like it could function as easily for dance as for martial arts, a room full of art supplies and several easels, and a little chemistry lab loaded with bunsen burners, beakers and vials.  On the desk at the front of the room sat a matching pair of sonic screwdrivers.

There was a staircase to the rooftop, where they found a wrought iron table and four matching chairs.  The rest of the space was occupied by empty planter beds waiting to be gardened.

“I feel I should be sort of offended when he does this,” Rory said, “because he’s usually not got a penny on him, so he’s obviously cheating.  But you know, I’m really not.” 

Amy bumped against his side, fighting an amused little smile.

___

Athena had partially woken from her doze a few times during the tour, but was fast asleep again when they tucked her under a blanket on the sofa in the living room.  Milly left her grandparents with the stacks of letters and journals and photos to go through while she went to make tea.

She looked around the kitchen while waiting for the kettle to boil, peeking into the door of a bread oven that was recessed into one wall.  Material possessions had always been fairly irrelevant to her family, though the extreme privilege of that position wasn’t lost on her.  But this house was just… love.  Over the top though it might be, it was clear that so much care and hope and longing was put into every little piece of it.  Her parents had done this with the memory of how they’d missed their children, how they always would miss the Ponds.  With the hope that though they couldn’t be with them, they could make them a home filled with happiness.

She brought the tea in on a silver tray with a swirling botanical etched motif that appeared to already be an antique.  She’d started trying to guess who’d picked out each piece of furniture, knick-knack or bit of art, and found it was actually surprisingly difficult.  Well, as a whole, her family always did like old things.

“So this old guy… he’s the Doctor?” Rory asked, shuffling through a stack of photos as she set the tray on the table.

“Yep,” Milly replied, taking a seat in one of the armchairs across from the sofa.  “Regeneration, it’s funny like that.”

Amy raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips.  “Not bad for an old guy.  Good on River.”

Rory rolled his eyes and Milly laughed.

“Yours was so young, it’s totally bonkers to me.  Do you know, though, he was Babyface for like a thousand years?  That’s nearly half his life, at my point.  So he wasn’t so baby faced in the end.  I think he’ll always have quite a lot of that regeneration in him, cause of all that time.  Sometimes it gets a bit buried, though.”

“But you weren’t around when he was… him?” Amy asked.

“Nah, I’ve just heard the stories.”

“Can _you_ regenerate?” she blurted.  “—Or, sorry, is that not polite to ask?” 

Milly chuckled.  “Haven’t had to give it a go yet, but yeah.  Comes with the whole Time Lord thing.  And best I can figure, I’ve got to be at least three-quarters.  And anyway, Mum regenerates too, so.” 

Rory looked up sharply.  “Sorry, you said regener _ates?_ As in, present tense, ongoing?”

Amy glanced at him and back to Milly.

“Ah.  Spoilers,” Milly mumbled with a wince. 

Amy laughed briefly.  “I’m not sure that matters for us.”

“Yeah, maybe not,” Milly said, smiling apologetically.  “Sorry, I’m not totally sure how all this goes.  You might’ve noticed, I’m not in any of those letters.”

“Why is that?” Rory asked. 

“They didn’t know I was coming too.  They’re from Athena’s Mum and Dad.”

“But, you’re both…”

“No, yeah, we are, I just haven’t been born yet.  They’ve met me, though.  I lived with them for six years, actually, while I was getting my doctorate.  But that was before Athena was born.” 

They both stared at her.

“Yyeeaah.  It’s a bit… complicated.”

“Well, it’s River and the Doctor,” Rory said, letting out a breath.  “Wouldn’t expect anything less.”

Milly smiled.

“So.  You’re named for me, then?” Amy asked, eyes downcast at her teacup, but looking quietly pleased.

“I, uh, did used to go by Amelia, actually; Milly was my nickname at home, but then I was sort of living incognito for a bit on Darillium and it stuck.”

“I saw that in here, somewhere,” Rory mumbled, flipping through the pages of a letter, “Darillium?”

“Oh, yeah, it’s the planet they lived on the first time around.  That’s where I lived with them while I was going to university.  And where Athena was born.”

“What do you mean, the first time?” Amy asked.  “Did something happen in between?” 

“Um,” Milly paused, glancing at Athena, who did still appear to be asleep.  “I think maybe that part of the story is… better saved for later.  There’s a lot to take in.” 

Amy looked like she wanted to press her, but after a moment she nodded.  “But they live together now, then?  Properly together, all the time?”

“Twenty-four years on Darillium, and it's been quite a few decades now.  Took til after Darillium to finally get the timelines ironed out.  No more flowcharts necessary— well.  Except for this bit.”

“They seem happy,” Rory said, sifting through the photos with a little smile on his face.

“Disgustingly,” Milly replied.  “And I do mean that.  They didn’t know I was their kid when I… you know, I’m just going to stop now.” 

Amy snorted.  “It’s alright.  We know our daughter.”

Rory looked over at her with a wistful smile.  There was a quiet pause while they turned through the photos and letters, but it felt strangely comfortable, considering.

“Um, I’m really glad to meet you guys,” Milly said, looking down at her lap.  “I hope you don’t mind all of… this.  I know it’s a lot, even if it hadn’t come at the same time you got dropped into 1938 without warning, and my parents sort of assumed you’d be okay living with us, and...”

Milly glanced up at the sound of Amy shifting the pile of papers from her lap onto the sofa.  She stood and crossed the room with a determined look on her face that was difficult to read.  Then she bent and pulled Milly into a tight hug.

“We’re family, yeah?” she said firmly.  “We stick together.”

Milly blinked back her tears as she nodded, and saw Rory smiling at them from the corner of her eye.

 


End file.
